N4bn debt: WAEC withholds students’ results in 13 states

West African Examinations Council, WAEC, yesterday released the May/June 2015 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations, SSSCE results for regular candidates in 24 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT but withheld those of candidates in 13 indebted states.
The affected states had failed to pay the registration fees of their students despite the repeated threats of WAEC not to release their results if their governors did not offset the debt.
The Council had earlier put the owing states at 19, but yesterday, the organisation’s hammer fell on only 13 states, implying that five states had paid their fees.
Although, the Council declined to give the names of the indebted states, it said that 13 of the earlier 19 indebted states were yet to meet up with their obligations to the exams body.
While presenting the summary of the results to journalists in Lagos, Head of National Office, WAEC, Mr. Charles Eguridu, said the Council faced enormous challenges in Nigeria as a result of huge debt and its attendant adverse effects on its operations.
“I had alerted Nigerians in July while briefing newsmen of the huge debt by states that sponsored their candidates and stated then that the Council may be constrained from releasing the results of government-sponsored candidates of the affected states.
“After my pronouncement, a few of the debtor states responded by paying their debts fully or partially; while a few others made promises, indicating their willingness to pay as soon as they are able to do so. Others have not made any effort in addressing the matter,” Eguridu recounted.
He said the Council reviewed the situation and decided that the results of government-sponsored candidates of indebted states be released only if such states endeavoured to produce bank guarantees, so that the Council will be assured that the fees will be paid.
In his breakdown of the results, Eguridu said 1,605,248 candidates registered for the May/June 2015 WASSCE, of which 1,593,442 candidates, consisting of 864,096 male and 729,346 female candidates sat the examination.
He noted that of the total number of candidates who sat for the examination, 1,498,069 candidates, representing 94.01percent had their results fully released, while 95,373 candidates, representing 5.99 percent had a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors mainly traceable to the candidates and schools in the course of registration or writing the examination.
The WAEC boss said the errors discovered were being corrected to enable the affected candidates get their results fully processed and released subsequently.
“Of the total number of candidates that sat for the examination, 758,849 candidates, representing 47.62 per cent obtained six credits and above; 949,862 candidates, representing 59.61 percent obtained five credits and above, while 1,114,988 candidates, representing 69.97 percent obtained credit and above in four subjects.
“In addition, 1,295,915 candidates, representing 78.81 per cent obtained credit and above in three subjects, while 1,376,743 candidates, representing 86.40 percent obtained credit and above in two subjects,” he said.
The WAEC boss disclosed that on the orders of the National Council of Education, NCE, Nigeria’s highest policy-making body on education matters, the Council examined candidates in 76 subjects, including the 39 Trade/ Entrepreneurial subjects introduced in the secondary school curriculum by the government.
A further analysis of the result reveals that 616,370 candidates, representing 38.68 percent of the total population of candidates made five credits and above in five subjects including English language and Mathematics, compared to 529,425 (31.28 percent) and 639,334 (30 percent) in 2014 and 2013, respectively.
The results of 118,101 candidates, representing 7.41 per cent are being withheld in connection with various cases of examination malpractice. The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the Nigerian Examinations Committee, NEC of the Council in due course for consideration. The committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their schools.
A total number of 109 blind candidates registered for and sat for the examination. From this figure, 20 candidates, representing 18.34 per cent obtained credit in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.